Breathe Again
by Faikitty
Summary: It should've been a day like any other... Why did it have to turn out this way? Yogi/Gareki.


I'm happy. ^_^ I know this fanfic doesn't make it look like I am, but... I adore writing and reading hurt/comfort fanfics. I guess it's a bit of a guilty pleasure. I have a lot more fun writing them than writing comedies, and these always turn out better too. Also for ships, my otp is decided from the start usually, but if it's not, it'll be decided when some pairing has a hurt/comfort scene. And by the way, I can be extremely sadistic to characters who I like. ^_^' I'm not that way in real life, no worries. But when writing...Yeah...

This one is a Karneval fanfic with the YogixGareki pairing. I don't have a big problem with the GarekixNai pairing (except that it's shotacon...then again, Gareki and Yogi have an age gap too...), but I view there relationship as more of a big brother type thing. So yeah. No offense if you like that pairing, it's just not my cup of tea!

Breathe Again...This prompt was absolutely perfect for me. *heart* I loved writing this...I'm sorry it turned out being so long, and I'm sorry that I'm uploading this, like, a week late.

Oh! Before you read, please just know that I don't approve of noncanon character death. So even though that's a spoiler for this fic, I don't care. I know some of you wouldn't read if I killed off off one of your favorite characters.

Enjoy~!

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_It should've been a day like any other… Why did it have to turn out this way?_

-X-

Gareki meandered down the halls of the Circus ship, not thinking about anything in particular nor with a specific destination in mind. Really, all he wanted to do was get away from the annoying people this ship seemed to be made of.

"Gareki, wait up!"

But of course, he couldn't escape the most annoying person of all.

He turned and looked blankly at Yogi. "What?" he asked.

Yogi stopped with his hands on his knees, panting. "Where are you going?" he asked.

"Who knows?" Gareki wondered as he began walking again, his back to the blonde. "Maybe I'll go find the nearest town and start a new life there."

"Gareki, don't joke like that!" Yogi protested. Gareki just waved his hand at him in response. "Gareki! Don't go! I…I love you!"

Gareki found himself frozen in his tracks. "What the…?" he asked, slowly turning around to stare at the older boy, who glared determinedly back. Then his face broke into a smile.

"Or something like that. Is that what you wanted to hear?" Yogi asked teasingly.

Gareki spun around in a huff. "Shut up, idiot. Go die!" he yelled, running down the remainder of the hallway and rounding the corner. _Don't play such idiotic games,_ he thought angrily. _Aren't you older than me? Act your age!_

Back in the hall, Yogi stood in the same spot, one hand reaching out in the direction Gareki had gone. _Always_… He wordlessly walked in the opposite direction Gareki had gone.

-X-

Nai found Gareki lying under the blankets on his bed, unwilling to move. "Gareki, wake up!" Nai said, jumping on him.

Gareki groaned and sat up. "What is it?" he asked impatiently.

"It's Yogi! He's-! He's-!"

Gareki raised an eyebrow. "He's what?"

"He's gone!"

"What do you mean, 'he's gone'?" Gareki asked, grabbing Nai's shoulders. "Gone as in 'gone into town', or gone as in gone?"

"Gone gone! No one knows where he is!" Nai sniffed, large tears forming in his eyes. "Help, Gareki!"

Gareki sighed and covered his eyes with his hand. He stood and pulled on his jacket. "Come on, let's go get the loser," he told Nai. The niji nodded and took Gareki's hand, bravely fighting back tears. _When we find him I'm gonna have to punch him for making the kid cry_, he thought.

-X-

Gareki slammed into the cave wall, feeling sharp pain shoot down his spine as he hit. He fell to the floor with the knowledge that he had several broken ribs. Holding his side with one hand, he brandished his sword with the other. The varuga he was fighting appeared intrigued at his willingness to go on fighting them, even though at this point it was rather pointless to do so. "It's time for the sparkling prince's…ah…" Yogi began his motto, but he cut off with a flinch as blood trickled into his eye, momentarily blinding him. "This was dumb…" He grimaced. He had wanted nothing but a distraction from his thoughts of Gareki, so he figured he might as well get some work done while he was at it. Obviously, things didn't quite go as planned. He slumped against the wall while the varuga watched him curiously. "Haha, it looks like this is going to be the end of Nyanperona…" he laughed bitterly. "Aw, and this is such a side place for him to die too. All alone, in such a dark, damp cave…" He closed his eyes. _Always alone…_

"YOGI!"

Yogi's eyes flew open once more, and both he and the varuga turned their heads to see Gareki and Nai run into the mouth of the cave. "Don't come in here!" Yogi yelled. The pair stopped suddenly, and Gareki took in the dire situation. Yogi, trapped against the wall, met his eyes and smiled softly. Gareki shook his head slightly, and Yogi just continued to smile. He reached up slowly and ripped the allergy patch off his face then sighed contently and leaned against the wall, waiting patiently for his other, stronger side to take over his body.

And so it did.

Yogi's body jerked as his hair changed from gold to silver, and his eyes opened slowly. "Ah, how fun!" he announced, licking his lips in anticipation. "Looks like this'll get to be a slaughter fest!" He launched off the ground, finding some strength despite his injuries, and decapitated many of the varuga. But still… It just wasn't enough. The last bit of physical strength he had remaining left him, and he crashed to the floor, his hair returning to blonde once more.

"Yogi!" Nai yelled, horrified at the scene before him. Gareki pushed the child behind him, shielding him from the sight of Yogi being pummeled. He himself was unable to turn away, no matter how badly he may want to. Gareki suddenly found himself unable to control his movements. He slashed at the varuga with a small dagger from his waistband, knowing full well it would have no effect. But in his rage, he managed to bring down the remaining varuga without even realizing it. Once they were gone, he sprinted to where Yogi lay crumpled on the floor, his limbs twisted at extreme angles. He knelt by the body and felt for a pulse, praying to someone, anyone, that he wasn't dead yet. There! He had located the pulse, but it was faint and sporadic. Listening, his heartbeat and breathing were barely even audible. Gareki took his head and gently set it in his lap, and for a moment, Gareki felt as though he was the one lying there dying on the floor.

Yogi's eyelids fluttered and his glazed eyes settled on Gareki's face. "Ga…reki…?" he asked. The simple were caused him to cough, and blood sprayed out of his mouth. His bloody lips twisted into a smile as they took in Gareki's expression. "So…You can cry… After all…" he laughed.

Gareki shook his head, not caring that there were tears running down his face. "How can you be making jokes at a time like this?" he asked, his voice cracking. "You're such an idiot…" Despite his words, he was gently brushing the hair out of Yogi's eyes as he spoke.

"Well if you can't live life happily, what's the point of living at all?" Yogi asked.

"Don't talk about living life when you're—!"

"Shh…I know. I'm dying, aren't I?" Yogi gazed placidly at Gareki. "You know, I wasn't joking before. When I said that I love you. I was just testing it then, to see how you would react, and even though I'm guessing you rejected me, I figure I might as well go ahead and truly admit my feelings before I can't anymore."

Gareki felt like his heart was splitting in two. "I…love you to… I… I don't want you to die…" he whispered faintly, his tears falling onto Yogi's cheeks.

Yogi's entire being seemed to relax. He closed his eyes. "Thank you," he said.

"Yogi…" Gareki murmured, trembling. "Please, don't die… Please, please don't leave me… Not like this…"

No response.

"Yogi…?"

Still, no response.

"Don't tell me… You can't be dead! Yogi! YOGI!"

-X-

The next several days were a colorful blur in Gareki's dazed mind. Nai arriving with Dr. Akari and Hirato, Yogi carried away on a stretcher, a flash of electricity and Yogi's heart being restarted… Gareki was given a dose of morphine himself to take care of his minor wounds on the surface and the hypothetical gash through his heart. He couldn't remember when it was, but at some point when he was sitting outside Yogi's operating room he found a blanket over his shoulders. Nai slept at his side most of the time, leaning against his shoulder. Animals are sensitive to people in pain, and the little niji was no exception.

Eventually, after three consecutive days of being shut off from the world with Yogi, Dr. Akari came back out. There were dark circles under his eyes and he looked seconds away from collapse, but there was a pleased fire in his eyes. Gareki jumped up nervously, causing Nai to stir slightly, watching the doctor as he poured a glass of water for himself. "Is he…?" the black haired boy asked hesitantly.

Dr. Akari grinned. "He's fine," he promised. "Well…I guess I shouldn't say that. But with the medical technology we have on this ship, I think he'll make a full recovery. He's strong, so he'll pull through." At Gareki's pleading gaze, he added, "He's asleep right now, but I suppose it would be alright for you to go in and see him." With that, he headed off toward his room, presumably to climb directly into bed and go straight to sleep.

"Gare…ki?" Nai asked sleepily, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

Gareki put his finger to his lips. "Go back to sleep," he said. "I'll just be a minute." He stepped into the room and closed the door. He immediately saw Yogi, sound asleep, with an oxygen mask covering his face and tubes sticking out of his bandaged body. "Yogi…" He walked over and stood at the edge of the hospital bed, his hands balled into fists at his side. "I'm sorry…" he choked out.

"For what?" Yogi asked, tilting his head slightly.

Gareki jumped slightly. "I thought you were asleep!"

Yogi grimaced. "Not exactly. That doctor wouldn't leave until I fell asleep, and you know how I feel about him," he admitted sheepishly.

"Yogi…"

"Hm?"

"…Never mind…"

"Oi! Don't just say my name and then say that!" Yogi protested.

Gareki refused to meet the older boy's eyes. "Are you really going to be alright?" he asked softly.

"Come on! Nyanperona doesn't die that easily!" Yogi laughed. He stopped when he realized Gareki still wouldn't look at him. "Gareki, come on… Why do you look so sad?" He gasped, pretending to be hurt. "Or did you want me to die after all?"

"NO! I don't ever want you to die!" Gareki corrected quickly. "I… Have you completely forgotten our conversation before?"

Yogi raised an eyebrow. "What conversation? I don't really remember a whole lot of what happened before I died. Which I guess, I technically did. My heart stopped, after all."

"Shut up!" Gareki slammed his fist into the wall, breathing hard. "Don't talk about that kind of stuff! I don't want to think about it!"

Yogi smiled. "If I were able to move I'd hug you right now," he said. "I'm glad to know you at least think of me as a friend." _Even if I wanted more than that._

"You idiot!" Gareki sank down to his knees and rested his cheek against the edge of the mattress that Yogi was lying on. "You really don't remember any of our conversation?" he mumbled, face turning red.

"I keep telling you, _what conversation?_" Yogi repeated, beginning to get annoyed. "Gareki! Answer me!"

"When I told you that I… I love… you…"

"What? I couldn't hear you?"

"I said that I love you!" Gareki replied angrily, blushing. He buried his face into the sheets as he tried to hide it.

"Gareki… Is that true? Or are you just trying to comfort a poor old man?"

Gareki looked up at Yogi. "So now you finally act like you're older than me?" he asked, frustrated.

"Well, I am, aren't I?" Yogi grinned. "You've already heard the poorly timed confession from me, but I'll say it again: I love you, Gareki."

"You're an idiot."

"And you're tsundere."

Suddenly, Gareki found that he was embracing Yogi. He held the older boy close and hid his face in his shoulder.

"That hurts," Yogi said with a laugh, flinching. "My arms are sort of immobile right now, sorry."

"Doesn't matter," Gareki replied, his voice muffled. "Can…we just stay like this for awhile."

Yogi nodded, blushing slightly too. "Of course," he said, closing his eyes.

-X-

Nai stood on the shoulders of a sheep, watching the pair happily. Being a niji and being so in tune with other people's emotions, he felt as though the sun was shining from that room. He smiled happily, thankful the two could finally find the happiness and warmth he felt.

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So, didja like it? I hope so!

As always, thanks to everyone who read! Favorites and reviews are appreciated but are by no means necessary. I'm just thankful if you actually bothered to take time to read my fanfic. Love you people, and bye bye! *heart*  
(I'm all...lovey dovey today...*facepalm*


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